Farewell
by SoulEaterMARLuver
Summary: How does Phantom spend his final moments before death? And with who? Candice of course! Read to find out what this misunderstood couple does with each other. My remake of Phantom's original deaths in both manga/anime. Also my 1st Phantom/Candice fic!Whee
1. Chapter 1

Anime: MAR, Couple: Phantom/Candice

Farewell

Genre: Angst/Romance

Disclaimer: I do not own the anime MAR, its characters, and plot but this story is based from Episode 78. All copyrights are credited to its respective creator, (Nobuyuko Anazai) artists, seiyuu and sponsors. Enjoy!

Ch 1: Delight

"Phantom-sama…" Her tone of voice held a hidden softness and concern that was only portrayed in front of him, always directed to his warm praise and smiles. The female Knight's words trailed as she attentively leaned closer to him, the no.1 Knight of the Chess no Koma, grasped his cold, almost real, human flesh hand in hers and the woman's usual gleam less, pine brown eyes sparkled in the darkened, shadow encased throne room, were they sat now.

Phantom in his forbidden chair, elevated off the floor with a few stairs in front connecting it to ground and two spheres decorated the corners, that the Chess's symbol backed behind grandly and Candice was pushed up on her knees beside his throne, eager and patient to assist him in any possible way to prove her affection, loyalty, use and existence to him. His purple left eye glanced at her worried face and hands clasped around his only one, and sighed lightly in between immense, crushing stabs of searing, overwhelming pain radiating from his ripped off left arm and bare-partitioned chest (revealing a small, dent mark under his collared muscle shirt) that threatened to conquer his calm, sadistic, intimidating and handsomely demonic demeanor and exterior for the past half hour.

He made a valiant effort to smile comfortingly and charmingly at her, trying to conceal his inward pain and rolling sweat perspirations under his white, deliberate right side, face-covering disheveled mop, nape of the neck-lengthen hair; just to see her enthusiasm rise. To his surprise, Candice did not respond immediately to this look with her expected girly glee that surfaced whenever he swayed her easily with this genuinely pleased expression. Her lips curved upward at the corners into a saddened, fond smile, her uncovered left eye that wasn't behind a large, red, circular-foreign-symbolic, black eye patch that dominated half her face, warmed somewhat, and her hand's grip clenched a little more tightly around his only remaining one but that was all. No further reaction.

He frowned slightly before he spoke as gently, reassuring and bravely as he could muster at this moment, "I am alright, Candice. No need to look so depressed." Hoping to fool her battle intelligent mind. The Rock-ARM user's face did not lessen up and break into a happy grin or let go of him and back away respectfully as he thought she might. _No, of course not,_ he thought reasonably in sarcasm.

Her left eye shone almost defiantly at him and her voice hardened slightly and ended in trembled, pleads as she spoke, "Do not lie to me, Phantom-sama. I can see well through your disguise and see your pain that it is consuming you and eating away at my heart. I know you well enough now to separate your pain from real joy and how you lock away your other emotions besides hatred, impatience, anticipation and malice behind those cold, solid walls closed around your heart, mind, and words. Oh, Phantom! Please, isn't there something, anything I could do to ease your pain, even a little if not completely? Tell me what to do. I'll devote myself to making you well again, I promise! Let me help you! Onagai!"

His one visible eyelid lifted and his eyebrow rose to a noticeably surprised arc before answering kindly. It seemed unusual for this subordinate to show another emotion besides her lust for battle, sexual experience, spite, vengeance, determination, respect, and rare cheerful towards others. "I'm afraid there's very little you can do to help me, Candice. I'm truly sorry. If I did know, I would have done so when I had fallen against Ginta or asked you earlier while you helped me get here. The only thing that comes to mind is for you to continue as you are and smile more often. It pleases me to see you happy. I believe my time as an immortal and walking among the living is reaching its limit. Regrettably, even the undead diminish in the pass of time."

' _I can do NOTHING! Nothing but smile at the face of the man I love crumble away right in front of me by the will of time! Why do you forsake me Time?! Why can't I hold on to my dear Phantom-sama longer? Why must he suffer this awful pain alone? Is there any way for him to transfer some of this pain to me so he can have a better death? Phantom? Death? Phantom's Death? How can this be? How can I think like that? It seems obvious now that my precious, awesome Phantom will—gulp die. He's in a great deal of pain right now, though he tries his best to bear it and keep it from me, which I despise. Just like so many years ago, ten years ago, he died and rose up from his grave. (I wonder, did he die like this, with very little company or none at all, ebbing away in silent, proud pain.) So maybe this isn't really an end; maybe it's_ _just a good bye before he comes back. He'll comeback again, I know he will. But it may take him longer to resurrect himself so, so I can't bottle up my feelings anymore.'_

' _I have to tell Phantom how I feel about him. No matter if he cares the same for me or not, it must be now. Before it's too late and he forgets my existence. All this time, it felt like he relied on me, needed me and then sort of rejected me after I lost and failed to play my role in his plan. But Phantom-sama has come around again to acknowledge me, my strengths, weaknesses and feelings'._

_ 'If he is to die, for now, I'm glad I'm the one to stay by his side until his end. I know Rolan and Peta would like to be here too but they're fighting that Team MAR group back in the foyer and I'm just helping our Phantom-sama hide, lie down and die, in his own throne room of Lestava Castle, the perfect place for such a noble leader. Those kids won't reach our Phantom-sama in time because even if they defeat Peta and Rolan, they'll have to fight me for his corpse…Okay, so, so; here I go!'_ A very long chain of thoughts went through Candice's mind when she quickly realized in a mildly stunned manner the harsh reality to Phantom's words.

A lapse of silence followed the zombie-man's reply, making him feel, well, a sense of something what humans would call, 'awkward' or 'embarrassing' or even 'uncomfortable' (_and a little cold, if my body could feel room temperatures again. As if the air has become 'chilly', or 'stiff''. That was long ago, though,_ the Ghost-ARM user mused) while he waited for Candice to work out her thoughts and let his words sink in for about twenty seconds. Phantom took this pause of conversation as a chance to observe the rest of his Knight's desirable features. Right now, her face plainly said shock, dismay, helplessness and an incomplete resolution undoubtedly beginning to form in her head and expression.

Her long, high parted, uneven, chin-length, bangs framed her face, that black French styled beret with it's yellow cross sat baggy and comfortable on her head behind her bangs, and the rest of her straight, curvy, waist lengthen, all-natural chocolate brown hair would flow down her bare shoulder blades and spine. That black, leather chocker with its little silver lock around her neck dangled off her collarbone, her shoulders pushed forward, both mid biceps covered down to her wrists in criss-crossing, black leather straps, held together by crimson red wrap-trim and thick, black bracelets.

Unfortunately, all he could see from his seat was from her mid-biceps up but he knew her frame fairly well, because that's all she really wore everyday, so he could imagine the rest of her body and style. Ten lengthen, pointy-sharp, purple colored, fingernails protected her fingertips, giving her razor claws to rake and tear across skin in unexpected close-combat. Her well-defined, large, chest and cleavage peaked out teasingly from its matching red, wrap-trim that went underarms and hugged her midback; from there down, she covered herself in a sleek, glossy, black one-piece bathing suit that exposed sides of her woman hood and covered her wide hips and perky bottom. Gray nylon covered her left leg all the way down to her toes, her right one was also dressed in that red trim and same nylon from her long mid-thigh down, which disappeared under her also, black leather army boots that reached up to her long mid-shins, with buckle straps decorated on the front of them; completing her sexually, casual appearance.

Whenever his darkened violet, cat-like, sliver-pupil eye looked her way, flicking over her figure up and down whether she entered, spoke, fought or exited in his presence, he couldn't help but marvel at her body's seductive curves, like the many other groups of male or female population within his organization undoubtedly goggle, drool and fantasize over her flaunting beauty. Candice's many characteristics such as her willing, loyal, headstrong personality, alluring body and near unfailing strength were perhaps the most attractive reasons for him to allow her to follow him like a love-sick puppy and join the elite membership of the Zodiac Knights.

He prompted her invitingly for a response. "Candice, I'm waiting for a reply. What do you say to my leaving of this world? Surely you must have some opinion or protest to my inevitable fate. Won't you share what's unnerving your mind with me?" Her brown eye seemed to recognize who was sitting in his throne in front of her and spoke just then because she shook her head a little, snapping back to attention and answered what she had reflected on to accomplish.

"Yes, Phantom-sama, I have a reply I would really like to share with you. You see, I'm deeply saddened that your death is approaching but I believe when I cry over your lifeless body, I will also be awaiting your return to MAR Heaven so we may try to reconquer it again. I promise to survive until that time and help everyone else cope with they're grief and depression over your loss. And when you resurrect again, Peta, Rolan and I will definitely have your preparations set for your arrival; we will have formed the new and improved Chess no Koma, established secure lodging posts and welcome you back with a joy filed, big, delicious feast and formal ball in your honor or whatever pleases you. Just as we had this year. We will stand by your side faithfully past the time we finally take over and remold MAR Heaven into the dream you have envisioned for years. Won't that be wonderful to come home to, Phantom-sama?"

Again, he was taken aback by a nearing delighted surprise that rivaled the pain within at her response that he would assume to come from the vampire-intellectual, Peta, his right-hand man, (or his 'left-hand man' because his left arm is wrapped thoroughly in bandages, though it seems he has a green, reptile-scaled arm underneath all those bandages) who would come up with brilliant words to describe the ultimate goal of the Chess no Koma that linked them so strongly together, combined with fear, discipline, order, strength and revenge he instilled into them. Despite his intensifying pain still coursing through him, Phantom smirked broadly at Candice's thoughtful ambition. "My, my, Candice, Aren't you the deep thinker? I say I would enjoy that sort of homecoming indeed. You certainly do have a way with promises, my dear."

"Arigato, Phantom-sama! It means a lot to hear that from you." The brunette answered with pride. "Well, you came up with the plans, did you not? You impress me beyond that of an ordinary human woman, you know, Candice." Her single human eye widened, that thin brown eyebrow rose up to slid under the blackstrap attaching her eye patch to her head and her mouth dropped open and curled upwards excitedly. "Y-You really mean that, Phantom-sama?" The former military mercenary faltered in daring, rising hope leaking into her tone of voice. He smiled sincerely, "Hontonei, my dear Candice."

'Kay, so that's the first chap, and they'll be another…oh, seven to go! - I hope you guys enjoyed this beginning for this awesome pairing. I've already finished the following chapters but now it's just a matter of uploading them. And readers remember to: **READ, REVIEW and RECOMMEND!** Alright? Thanks, Bye!


	2. Chapter 2

Ch 2: Affection

Ch 2: Affection

Candice sat back on her calves, her strong body quivering in relief and anticipation. '_Phantom-sama's Real Smile…he's being completely honest right now. He's not lying to me about this; he really does care for me!'_ she assessed the meaning behind his words and tone like her biggest dream coming true. "P-Phantom-sama, there's something else I'd like to tell you…" The black and red leather dresser started nervously, her eye stared down at her lap as a modest pink blush covered her cheeks. "Continue." He commanded, both noting and ignoring her petty, feminine stammering. She straightened up her gaze to eye-contact immediately, tossing aside her embarrassment.

"Yes. Well, do you remember the day we battled each other and you defeated me? When I was beat, you caught me like a gentleman so I wouldn't fall and hurt myself anymore, and I couldn't stop admiring your amazing strength, looks, and manner. Ever since that time you said with that adoring, fake smile of yours, "I like you, Candice. I need people like you with your kind of power and determination to help me create a New MAR Heaven. I value soldiers who will do as I ask and fight for me to protect the nearing goal to conquer this rotting, stinking world so everyone can live in a utopia. Some already follow me but I need a larger amount of warriors to form an indestructible army. Perhaps you've heard of some of them? Like Haritsukie no Halloween or Chimera? We are to be called, 'Chess no Koma'. Come with me, Candice. Help me recreate this world together. I assure you a prominent position in my army, a group of lethal ARM users called the 'Zodiac Knights' and an offer to take revenge against those who wronged you in the past" and asked me to join the Chess no Koma, I put all my soul, body and strength into reaching Knight Class and became one of the Zodiac Knights as I am now. Nothing has made me happier to be around you and help you in any way I could, Phantom-sama. I love to fight for you because it gives me pleasure to prove my existence to you. But to put it bluntly…"

She leaned forward again and lifted herself up with her lightened grip on his hand and the other hand flat against the arm of his chair to look up close enough to level of his face. His violet eye locked to her warm, rich brown one, indulging in her caring look for the first time in a long time, feeling wary, uncertain and even conflicting within his mind. The fair skinned hand resting on the cold stone armchair slowly reached forward, seeking to delicately brush aside the ever-face-covering veil of uneven hair covering his mysterious, unseen right eye. As her scarlet painted fingernails avoided scraping across his silky, silvery-albino locks by using only her five fingertips, Phantom's remaining, sun-deprived, Zombie Tattoo, in carved hand with its gray, metallic, studded, thick red wristband around it, shot out and intercepted the touch. Seizing hers quickly, and somewhat urgently; receiving a small intake of breath and disappointed pout that appeared in her face, and they did not release it until her hand went limp in yielded obedience.

"No, no, Candice; don't do this, it can't work…I can't relive the emotion of love I had with Alma. It's too painful and I simply cannot deal with having you pour your young, beautiful heart into me when you deserve someone alive and more providing for your desires. I'm not really so blind that I can't see that you've dropped hints about the way you feel towards me but, but it can't survive. I'm already re-dead, and who loves a dead man anyway? I just can't allow you to do this to yourself and ruin your chance at happiness. Please stop. It is forbidden." The Zombie Tattoo inflictor begged in a desperately, heart-felt-like voice, attempting to convince her to spare each other from unnecessary anguish, if acted a poun with the appropriate measure of force and best interests.

She did not abide to his wish and her multi-ARM, silver ringed hand hesitantly cupped his exposed, cool to the touch, pale cheek before she replied firmly, her iron will undeniable. "By whom is it forbidden? For the living and dead to love? No, Phantom-sama; it **can** work. Just trust me. I think you need to bury the past with Alma; it's holding you back to make up excuses. I realize she was your first lover and you have bittersweet memories of her somewhere in the depths of your mind, and I respect that, but I want to be the one to replace that image of her. And I** will **pour my heart into you because I love you more than life it self. I've loved you since the day we met and I know no matter how you may detest this fact, I can't force myself to let go and turn my back on you. Don't you realize how much I've had to risk personally all just proving my use, loyalty and loving to you? Everyday I battle and train myself to push past my limits to improve, thinking of you, so I could at least please you. So, these last few hours with you have been a dream come true for me because I feel like I've finally gotten through to you enough for you to repay my efforts by letting me give you a proper, heart-meant good bye. You owe me that much, at least."

'_This woman won't give up; it's quite clear in her eye and words that she loves me with all her heart.' _The destined man reflected, coming to terms with his feelings._ 'But Candice, you're making this good bye so hard on me because I'll die soon and won't resurrect again for probably another ten years at least. If I give into you, you'll be waiting for many long, lonely, bitter years just for me. A zombie, doomed to be an immortal. Or maybe I'll die for good now and can't return to you, Candice.'_

'_Did you ever ponder that, my sweet? It will be similar to the end of my heart wrenching, relationship with Alma. You echo the memory of her appearance inside my mind so much that it throbs and I want to cringe. I've already hurt one woman too many and I do not want to punish Candice by rejecting her or shattering her heart. Even so, I should, no, I __**have to**__ repay Candice's devotion by giving her what she's waited so patiently for; my affection. She's earned it from the beginning' _

"Alright, Candice," The royal blue dressed immortal resigned, bringing a battered hand to cup her chin and cease her lower lip's quivering as, they reflected, in the familiar positions late the previous night before his match with Team MAR's Ginta. "I believe you. This love can work. I'm worried that you will be tormented with strife when I finally die but I trust you know the risks. I didn't know how much you strived and pushed yourself for me except when I observed your battles; you're a brutal, dedicated warrior who has defended me to the end. Thank you. I accept your good bye as a final gift from me to you for your ever faithful services".

"And to answer your question, I happen to be one of the few who love a dead man. He's so— irresistible!" She beamed compassionately, her joy and gratitude illuminated the core of her soul to the deepest corners and bottom of her heart that reflected off her face before Candice closed the gap in between they're lips; kissing Phantom. Both of her hands cupped his cheeks as she forced her unrelenting, craving tongue into his mouth to slid all over on the inside of his carven and down some ways into his throat; moaning the whole while, which he picked up on soon. His arm came around her bare back and hugged her to him, urging her to lean in more to deepen the passionate kiss.

She complied and after ten minutes, satisfied her lustful venture and allowed Phantom his experienced expedition of her mouth. His tongue expertly crawled, slid, flicked, tickled, twisted, tasted and maneuvered inside Candice's entrance, toying with her tongue, licking along her sides, savoring her sweet, untouched saliva, nipping her lips and eventually broke apart, leaving her with a longing for his lingering lips against hers again seconds later. _'But I've had my fun…' _The kissed virgin thought amusedly, as she leant backwards a little ways into his embrace so Phantom's single violet eye could connect to hers, gleaming with untold satisfaction.

'_Candice, my dearest, you never cease to amaze me today! Just when I think you're at your brink, you strive to appease me even more. That kind of dedication is rare to find in these twisted, boring and cruel days in this world of MAR Heaven.' _The bandaged man thought delightedly. Phantom's appreciation shone through his true expression. _'Oh Phantom-sama! You always know the best way to unlock the chains around my heart. You are my sole reason to live.' _ The fiery woman's thoughts mirrored his feelings equally. Both man and woman embraced each other lovingly, cherishing they're newfound, quality affection from the other in a warm, tight hug; clinging to the moment with each other in knowing of Phantom's dawning death looming over the lover's heart like a dark, evil, repressible cloud of pain, loss and grief yet to fully impact each other. Then it began.


	3. Chapter 3

Ch 3: Distress

Ch 3: Distress

The sudden, torturing death of Phantom of the Chess no Koma. At first, his body just froze, paralyzed in an unknown, brain-disfunctioning fear that controlled and manipulated him, barely allowing him a strangled gasp for air. Conquered his thoughts and limb movement for the time with an unmatchable, unimaginable, uncomprehending, incredible force like a destructive fist locked around him in an inescapable, combusting, pain filled hold in his entire being. Candice noticed this immediate change when she realized her loved wasn't responding to her hug like he had seconds before; holding her close, stroking her hair, whispering dirty confessions into her band-covered ear by bending his neck above her shoulder. She shrieked, horrified, when her eye set sight on his blank, dark purple, pupil-less, almost rolled in his head, dead look that overcame his whole figure.

The woman quickly and carefully lifted his arm around her neck and pulled him out of his throne, down the few, narrow steps, to set him gently on his back a top the cold, granite floor of the room, aware of his condition and oblivious discomfort to the hard surface. So she swiped off her beret off her head and placed it under his white head as a makeshift pillow before sitting down beside him, clutching his ghost, white hand fiercely in deep concern for her beloved's life. Cold sweat began to break under his matted hair and chilling arms, and she wiped off as much she could with only her hands, proving mildly successful. _'Oh, what else can I do for him?' _The flushed, panicking 'nurse' flustered,

' _I could go down to the first aid room or the kitchen, grab some soaked cloths, get a proper pillow and blanket while I'm at it but what if I lose him altogether while I'm gone? Or what if he wakes up and calls for me and I don't reach him in time? It is a trip to take on, even if I sprint down all those long, endless hallways. Okay, maybe I'm being a bit irrational but whatever happens, I can't risk my precious moments left with him, even if I could comfort him. I'm so selfish, but, I can't bear to leave him alone for so long just to get supplies. I know! If Phantomou doesn't wake up in the next—eight minutes, I'll make a run for all that stuff; that way, he'll recuperate faster. ' _All she could do now was waiting patiently for him to recover himself.

Phantom was desperately, ungainly, fighting an internal health battle with only his conscious keeping him alive and awake to fend off the pain. He had used his powerful mental suppression skills to contain it and scare it away but when it knocked those techniques aside as they were ineffective, he eventually resorted to defensive moves to keep it at bay when it attacked viciously with ferocious teeth and shredding claws. The pain was crushing him into dust slowly, withering away his complete control over his own body.

Cracking, breaking the resolve to win for Candice. Candice. The woman he loved. Who was probably screaming at him to awaken and live? To breathe, move, talk, think; iketea. Come back to her and her love so she wouldn't have to face the grief of losing me '_You can't let her down!' _A thought crossed his mind, _'She's waited too long for you to finally return her love. Why take away her happiness now? Even if you can't win in the end, she deserves your honest good bye at least! C'mon! Shape up and pull yourself together, Phantom! You're the top, fearless, ruthless leader of the Zodiac Knights! This shouldn't slow you down! Give it all you've got left and beat this thing for Candice!'_

The zombie-man scarped the rest of his dwindling will power from his whole being with his conscious and launched it head on at the crippling, fearsome pain chewing away at his insides. It was hit hard on its side, bouncing it off balance and into the abyss of where it should have smashed into his heart. The Pain screams resounded faintly from the terrifying darkness below before it was silenced abruptly. With a relived sigh, his conscious melted into his weary body, granting him the ability to breath, move and live.

Candice sat on her bottom; legs curled beside her thighs in a submissive, mourning sitting position, her shoulders drooped and chocolate brown hair fell over her shoulders and open forehead bowed against his chest for what felt like a lifetime to her. Tears trickled down her closed eyes and dripped off the tip of her pointy nose and landed onto his slightly damp, dark blue, collared, sleeveless shirt. The minutes slithered by like sluggish hours, adding more depressed worries to her prayers.

Willing, hoping with a discouraged heart and conscious for her Phantom to wake up; even if to only a spark of light to flicker in his unnaturally large, diluted purple eye or a bare twitch of his hand in response to her grip around his. Anything would lighten her heavy heart weighed down by the bricks of absolute fate; that her vain efforts were wasted, that her dear Phantom-sama was already dead for the second time ever. Preparing for his death was easier said then done when faced with it in reality. And she was shocked with immense disbelief and joy when a struggled inhale of air and thump of his chest reached her ears.


	4. Chapter 4

Ch 4: Succumb

Ch 4: Succumb

"C-Ca-andi-ice…" The uttered whisper tried to speak the name on his dry lips. She turned a bleak, tear-stained face towards the owner of the stiff voice, questioning doubtfully, "P-Phantom-s-sama?..." Seconds ticked by, filling each others ears with unbearable silence before a weakened reply, "H-Hai, c-come here…" His warrior obeyed, lifting her head off his chest and close to his face to hear his hoarse, almost inaudible voice, holding only the traces of his old respected, daunting authority.

"I-I can't express how happy I am to see you live again, Phantom-sama! You really scared me!" Candice told him, emotion welling up in her expression again. He managed a slight crook of a smile before he spoke again, "Gomen ne, dieshinamou… I had to battle a terribly strong pain that was dragging me to my death, on the inside…. But I beat it, for now, and I can finally live and breathe with you at my side again, Candice…The thought of you drove me on to defeat the pain. And this wet cloth, fluffy pillow, and light blanket. Arigato gozu mush!"

"Eiya, Arigato, Phantom-sama! You are always the one to inspire me to push forward and conquer whatever gets in my way. You have always been that way for me and I can't thank you enough for what you've done to influence my life positively. So you deserve the credit, sir." Candice stated freely from her heart. "I see…I guess we're both welcome, then." The ill man said and twitched his hand against hers. "Why not?" She smiled sweetly with her eyes closed, enjoying this light, content moment.

"But Candice, don't forget that this is the end for me. You need to realize that this might be my final death and I may be unable to resurrect again; ever. So if you have anything else to tell me, say it now so I can carry it with me as I pass on…Its selfish, I know but whenever I am put to rest peacefully in my headstone, I'll always think of your precious memory. Just so we're a little closer in spirit," he reminded her, spoiling her carefree mood as she opened her eye to his down-to-MAR Heaven words.

"Hai, mouchiro, Phantom-sama. I realized this before; I've known it all along." She replied seriously, small beads of tears still rolled down her cheeks unnoticed by her. "Good. I just wanted you to remember the reality of our current situation." He gently brushed away the tears from her beautiful face; a hint of a smile laced his lips, causing her to smile back at his caring act.

"I'll miss you so much, Phantom-sama," Candice whispered, holding his hand against her cheek and her voice failing her when a small lump lodged into her throat, which she was able to swallow down before gathering her thoughts, voice and words to continue. "I'll miss everything about you. Your words, voice, looks, smarts, strength, movements, command; every little detail that makes you. I wonder if I can actually cope with you gone. You keep all of us together, without you, the Chess will fall easily; especially me. You complete me. You're my reason to live."

"And I'll miss you just as much, Candice-dono. I've closed myself off from loving you and written it off as useless emotion for too long and I've only just realized that in these last few hours with you. Everything about you since we met has had me in a trance; your words, beauty, strength, intelligence, devotion and so much more. I'm stifled with grief of being separated from you for who knows how long. But, we'll meet again, I promise; somehow, somewhere, my love." Phantom confessed, skimming his hand through her thick, silky mousse hair. She turned her head around so she was hovering about an inch over his face before she kissed him again tenderly and longingly. His lips returned the passion with the same force, meaning and understanding; knowing it was only they're second and last kiss for years to come.

With his guard down, the Pain had crept back up the walls inside Phantom and jumped, lunged with all its might and savagely struck him, ravaging his body system's main, vital organs with hate filled, blood thirsty, clawing swipes, rewarding itself by scoring deep, emendable deep wounds and blood broke like a dam from them, gushing out unstoppably. It hacked away at and broke through his stomach, intestines, pancreas, and kidneys, detached the esophagus, punctured lungs, severed veins and vesicles and may more death-assured organs. It also gnawed on bones, bit muscles and sucked blood greedily, like a parasite. Phantom's quick response to Round Two was heart-crushing for Candice to watch with unspeakable, mind-blanking, pitying, gruesome horror.

One minute they were kissing, the next, Phantom was coughing his own blood into her mouth, staining her tongue with revolting, tasting bile, and she recoiled. He continued to wretch profusely, spilling the crimson colored liquid from under his hand and seeping in between the cracks of his fingers clamped around his mouth to dribble down his chin, neck and mix into his purely white hair and equally colored pillow. The rolled cloth and green blanket lay forgotten on the floor. It seemed as though he was vomiting all the blood in his entire body, the way it just kept flowing up and out of his mouth like a waterfall.

Then he suddenly stopped. All too quickly; he just stopped completely. His face was contorted into an exhausted, crumbled look of utter pain, fear and shock before his violet eye widened to its maximum height, bulging out of it socket, seeing an untraceable, invisible, deathly dressed figure a few feet in front of his open-cut, slimming navy blue slippers.


	5. Chapter 5

Ch 5: Finality

Ch 5: Finality

The Keeper of the Crypt; Death. Covered from pulled over hood to oversized length covering his feet in baggy, homely, folds of an all ebony black robe, tied together at the waist with black cord. With its silver, gleaming scythe double the height of the tall cloaked figure in hand, the stranger walked slowly towards the dying, re-dead man, his boney, pasty-white left hand outstretched intentionally for Phantom's soul. The Knight screamed as loud as he could because his lungs, voice box and throat were embedded with holes on the inside, coming out of his red mouth as a shrill, piercing sound barely worth the title of a human scream. It resembled an animal's final screech before death.

The terrified man scrambled backwards, desperate to elude the Face of Death at his door, only to smack into the base of his throne and practically fall unconscious, except for one lighting flash, throw back of his white and scarlet dipped head, revealing a glimpse of his mysterious right eye from underneath that curtain of locks; he had none! It was a void, an empty socket of where his other violet eye should be. All just to take one last gaze at Death's approach before he passed out into the lulls of sleep; a world of floating, scattered rifts of memories, dreams and reality all fused into one long, coma that meant death.

The Shinigami had passed through Phantom's solid body as a ghost would a wall and without too much difficulty, slashed a long, deep cut from his head to his stomach, pulled out his sinful spirit, opened a woolen pouch that sucked the soul into it like a vacuum, copied the previous slash from stomach up, closing the wound and walked away silently into thin air. Amazingly, none of Phantom's mutilated body parts spilled out on to the cold, cement floor of Lestava Castle's throne room. Even more amazingly, Candice did not see the entire end of Phantom's death.

Yes, she witnessed the gushing blood, the howl of terror uttered from her lover, his backup and smash into his chair, the quickly dealt with knock to the head finish but that was it. She did not see Death appear before Phantom, his soul taken out or the departure of the figure. All she saw was her lover violently ill hallucinate and die from a quick, unexpected blow to the head, ultimately killing him swiftly in shock and loss of blood.

_'D-Demo…this wasn't how it was supposed to be!! He wasn't supposed to die from blood loss, hallucinations and shock!! He was supposed to die in my arms!' _Her mind screamed, helplessly to change Phantom's ending. Although she knew it was futile, the woman called out his name, "Phantomou?" sounding hollow and pathetic to her; like a little girl unable to handle the truth. Of course, the still body did not stir from his resting place; leaned against the base of his chair, head turned some angle away from Candice, thin blood still dripping down his chin from his mouth, gray locks covering the top half of his face. His bare, rounded shoulders slumped, his one red armband came around his mid-bicep as usual, that remaining red and silver-studded bracketed hand open at his waist, his royal blue muscle shirt, with that long, white, cloth floating behind him, tucked into his matching, airy, mid-shin, length pants, and black slippers filled the stricken Candice's vision.

Haunting her with the vivid memory of the strong, fierce leader of the Zodiac Knights and the Chess no Koma's military overseer who she had loved so. With an emotionally, bleeding heart, the scared female crawled on her hands and knees slowly, as if it was all an illusion, uncaring if they scraped and gashed against the hard surface, to her dear, defeated Phantom. Reaching him, she sat back in her previous position; her legs curved around her and gently pulled his corpse onto her lap and hugged his head into her breasts and chest, her arms and hands cradling his precious body to her.

Bittersweet tears flooded down her cheeks, tightening her grip on him while she gazed down her nose at his ruined, handsome face. She brushed away his annoying curtain of silvery hair and watched, fascinated, as the shadow's played across his open-eyed, shocked look. Wiping away and stemming the flow of the trickle of his blood with the cloth, she respectfully placed her a hand over his eye, pulled her hand down and lifted it up to see Phantom's one good eye closed in an solemn, intimate appreciation. _'If only I had been able to do this before…before __**this!**__ T-This is worse than I could have ever imagined him to die!' _

Candice wailed her anguish to the high ceiling, rebounding off the dark enshrouded walls, ringing in every corner of the room and further beyond and the fighter plunged her face into his soft, lightweight tendrils, inhaling his lingering scent morosely. She cried for hours into Phantom's lifeless body with neither dignity or relinquish until nothing was left and merely let herself fall backwards drowsily onto his throne's base; ironically, one of the causes to Phantom's death and the current resting post for Candice.

"What was that?" Torameizu Ginta asked aloud to the others, stopping his run to search the hallway.

"It sounded like a woman's scream." Dorothy stated for everyone.

"Yeah, there's no mistaking it." Alviss seconded her reply.

"But who would scream like that?" Babbo asked.

"It almost sounds like Rapunzel. By the way, what do you think happened to her?" Nanashi asked.

"Ian said he killed her to gain his Knighthood. Remember?" Aran answered testily.

"Oh yeah! Ohwari, oba-san!" The long, blonde haired thief apologized.

"Anyway, back to the main focus!" Dorothy, the long, pink-pigtailed witch reined the two in.

"Let's see…Other than Rapunzel, there's only two more female Knights; Chimera and Candice." Snow said logically, ticking them off.

"So it's one of those two!" Jack, the monkey boy said obliviously.

"Let's find out! Come on, everyone!" The spiky, blonde haired boy said picking up speed as everyone else followed behind him.

Team MAR ran through the stretching, gloomy hallway they had passed through countless times before, all looking the same; dark, cold and with no light. This one was an exception because at the end of it there was a large wooden door, and cracks of light were permitted through it, making it a welcoming sight to the dark-adjusted eyes of the group. Ginta reached the door first, swung it open excitedly and ran into the light with everyone at his heels only to stop suddenly as his keen emerald eyes took in what lay in front of him. His companions gave quiet exclamations of surprise when they realized the mood of the scene.


	6. Chapter 6

Ch 6: Cajole

Ch 6: Cajole

Massive lakes of blood littered the stone, squared floor of what appeared to be the throne room of Lestava Castle, Snow-hime's former home. All the pools of sickening and vital fluid linked together to lead in several thick and thin, wavering trails to one distinct source; the throne. A forest green blanket, white pillow and black beret also scattered on the floor by the few steps leading to the elevated seat. Leaning against the royal chair where two people.

An immobile body of a man with unruly white-gray hair, pale skin and an all-too-familiar symbol for Alviss marked on his hand and chest, dressed in navy blue, insecure white bandages and matching blue shoes was held to the chest by a dozing woman with long brown hair, a black eye patch covering part of her face, dressed in black and red leather straps and a revealing, one-piece bathing suit. Both people seemed asleep at present time; the woman laying her head over the man's who she embraced to her breast, they're eyes closed blissfully.

"Oh my God!" All the members of Team MAR mouthed silently to each other, conscious of the sleeping pair numerous feet away and huddled in a circle to work out a strategy.

"It's Phantom and Candice of the Zodiac Knights!" Dorothy whispered urgently.

"What happened here? And what's with the blanket and pillow?" Ginta asked around.

"Who knows? We'll have to sneak up on them and force it out of them! That's all I know," Nanashi declared.

"No, you fool! We'll startle them! That's the worst thing to do now because we're all exhausted from fighting the other Knights back there and they might beat us if we pick a fight with them!" Aran reasoned.

"You're right, Aran. Even if we have bigger numbers, they are both very strong Chess members that have given us tough battles in the past," Snow agreed and supported his thoughts.

"Minea, I don't think we have to worry about Phantom fighting. I think he's already dead." Alviss told them.

"Naniou! Dead! Are you sure?!" Jack cried.

"Yeah. All the trails of blood lead to Phantom's corpse. And Candice looks like she's uninjured. Look again if you don't believe me." Alviss rationalized.

"Okay, I believe you. But Phantom actually, finally dead? It's impossible!" Jack protested.

"That means if he really is dead, then your Zombie Tattoo should disappear, right Alviss?" Dorothy suggested.

"Well, yes, and no. I have to be the one to kill Phantom if I want my Zombie Tattoo to disappear completely. It's just faded and receded halfway up my body, as far as I can tell right now." Alviss explained.

"I'm so sorry, Alviss. I wish your Zombie Tattoo would disappear." Snow sympathized.

"Thanks for your concern, Snow." He replied.

"So what should we do now?" Babbo asked.

"I think we should either wait for Candice to wake up or approach her cautiously and friendly. If she tries to fight us, then we'll give her one to remember," Aran provided the possible options.

"That feels like a really hard thing to do then just putting it so simply, Aran. All the members of Chess have hurt us equally hard; and Phantom has had a hand in it every time. Somehow, he's always responsible for our hardships because he's tried to take over MAR Heaven. It's very difficult to just push those feelings and pain away so easily like that, especially for Snow and I, when this could be our chance to kill the rest of Chess; right here, right now. Wouldn't that compensate all our grief, even a little?" Dorothy said to everyone.

They thought it over silently for minutes before Nanashi broke it understandingly and cheerily. "I feel the same, Dorothy-chan. But they're both really in no mood to fight, at least from my point of view. Let's try to be kind and maybe we can change Candice for the better. So, I'm up for option 2; Be friendly! Who's with me?" Jack, Babbo, Ginta and Snow raised they're hand enthusiastically, saying, "Me!" Aran, Alviss and Dorothy shook they're heads; exasperated that the youngsters would forget the hardships they faced, all courtesy of Phantom and his Chess no Koma, but followed anyway.

The group of pure-intentioned intruders cautiously, quietly and respectfully edged over to the sleeping Candice and dead Phantom in her arms, avoiding the pools of blood, with Nanashi at the front, since it was mainly his decision. He soundlessly stooped down to her level and gingerly shook the enemy's bare shoulder, sweating slightly with the tense strain of awakening an enraged Rock-ARM user and his fellow team mate's anxious eyes boring into him.

She stirred some, groaning lightly and her visible eye fluttered open a few seconds to focus on him before closing again, turning on her side against the chair, clutching the fallen antagonist deeper into her bosom. The Luberian bandit tried again with a little more force, and just as nervously. _'Hm, that's strange; she smells like blood, tears and sweat. Was she crying, sweating and bleeding, or was it Phantom?' _The handsome Eletric-ARM user pondered. "Leave me alone! I've suffered enough!" Candice mumbled, upset, shrugging off his touch. Now, that irritated Nanashi the Woman-Lecher, because no owna had ever resisted to his charm and unthinkingly turned her around to face the others, pivoting her shoulders hard and she responded effectively.

Candice's eye flew open, the brown orb sleep laden and drained at first sight hardened into flint and ignited unrestrained flames of loath as she focused on her enemy's faces. Her lips tightened into a grim, spiteful line to scream hurtful accusations at them. Rock-ARM decorated fingers with long, sharp, red fingernails grown overtop held Phantom's hour-old carnage to her so tightly that her hands went white as her pale as her face was now; as though they would steal him away from her if she let go.

The Knight did not sit up from her supposed defeated position and greet them with a ready, able battle stance like she might have days ago. To the members of Team MAR, she looked almost pitying and desperate to oppose them for her love and depression over they're greatest foe.

'_Them! Those Team MAR kids! How could Peta and Rolan have been defeated by these punks? Doesn't matter! I'll never give them my precious, Phantom-sama! It's because of them that they drove my dearest to the state he was in and helped him die! They'll have to fight me for him!...For his corpse…'_ The woman thought vehemently and softened slightly at the thought of his body, glancing down his peaceful, sleeping face; renewing the stabbing, honored memories of him. Casting her eyes up challengingly, heard the stylish, long haired blond man with one visible green eye speak first and she listened with impatient fury.

"Hello Candice of the Zodiac Knights. From your expression, I guess you remember we're Team MAR. Well, for starters, I'm Nanashi of the Luberia Guild, and these are my comrades," He gestured behind him, pointing out and naming each member. "Okay, so you're probably wondering how, why and when we got here, right? We'll let you in on that later. But do you mind telling us what happened here? We're all really puzzled," Flinging a hand at the blood-soaked floor and looked back at her patiently, kindly and open-heartedly.

_'Why's he being so—understanding? He doesn't know what I've gone through. He doesn't know my pain! They're my enemies; how dare they pity me! And why would they care about what happened to P-Phantomou? What do they have to gain?' _The alert, suspicious and delusional female pondered. "What's your game, Team MAR? Why should you care about Phantom and I? We're your enemies!" She prosecuted.

The man named Nanashi looked surprised by her response and answered back politely and sincerely, "Nothing! We're not playing any games; no tricks. We're all just really confused about what took place here and we would like some answers. You seem to be the only one here who can tell us besides **him**. And maybe, we can help you turn over a new leaf, you know? If you want to, that is."

_'This chick is really messed up right now,'_ the coaxer realized. _'Something bad must have happened here to make her like she is. Now if only she'd open up, then we can help her.' _The emphasis directed to her beloved did not go missed by the paranoid Candice, adding more anger to her mounting rage. Her eye narrowed, scrutinizing the value of his words in her mind. _'Is he insulting my Phantom? If he is, he'll pay big time! And do they really mean what they say? Do all of them really want to help me?' _She decided to test them. "Say I wanted to, then which of you would help me?"


End file.
